Core idea : Hero's Wheel is a framework for designing user's behavior in relation to our product (in a wide sense)
Let's consider our user a hero
According to Campbell, every hero* follows a certain development path, or goes for a hero's journey
This hero's journey serves as a basis for the Hero's Wheel
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself,” — Joseph Campbell
This framework can help:
to better understand our users with their pains & needs
to comprehend the gap between the existing solutions & the desired outcomes
to make our product a perfect fit for each segment of our users
This template is useful for:
designing a new product
developing a strategy for a company, product, communications
analyzing & segmenting audiences (users, customers, consumers)
How to work with the template:
The right-hand half of the wheel relates to the hero only, while the left-hand one focuses on the hero & their interaction with our product
The inner circle focuses on the hero themselves (user, customer) and their thoughts & feelings
The outer circle covers the environment & attributes around the hero
Each sections has a serial number — you go step by step filling in the template with details (check the guiding questions around the wheel) but can always come back & add new insights
References:
Campbell, J. (1949). The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Pantheon Books, USA.
Erskine, R. G. (2011). Attachment, Relational-Needs, and Psychotherapeutic Presence. URL: ResearchGate
Make Sense, A system of scenario design
